by Avery James
Nolan laughed. “Is that right? So it’s fair what you do to me?”
“And what exactly do I do to you?”
“Unspeakable things,” he said. She bit her lower lip before kissing his neck. Then she kissed his chest and ran her hands down his back. She heard him give a low sigh of delight as she rocked her hips against him. She could feel his excitement growing as she kissed him.
“One time wasn’t enough?” she teased.
“I don’t think it’ll ever be enough,” he said as he looked at her with his deep blue eyes. She kissed his neck again, then she brushed her cheek against the stubble of his chin. She agreed completely.
Chapter 13
The next morning, Nolan woke Abby early. Or at least it felt early. Without her phone, she really didn’t know what time it was. She just knew that she was tired. Sunlight streamed in through the windows. Nolan had a cup of coffee waiting on the nightstand, and he was dressed. A t-shirt and jeans. He was holding something behind his back. Even half-asleep, Abby found herself slightly disappointed he wasn’t shirtless. “Everything ok?” she asked.
“Everything’s great,” he said. “You said I only have the day, so I thought we’d get started early.”
Abby tried to think back to the last time she’d woken up next to someone other than Nolan. What did it say about her that she couldn’t remember? Usually she’d sneak out after sex to avoid the whole next morning thing, but with Nolan, it was different. She’d wanted to stay. Even when she knew she had to leave, she’d wanted to crawl into bed next to him and lie there in his arms.
So now that they were officially giving things a shot, why was he out of bed?
“You ready for breakfast?” he asked.
“I don’t I think I have the strength to get up,” she replied.
“Well, we can try breakfast in bed,” he said. “I have plans to bring you to a sugar house the next town over, but I thought we’d start with this.”
As Nolan held his hand out, Abby couldn’t help but laugh. She recognized the ramekin from the night before. “Chocolate mousse,” she said.
“Breakfast of champions. And people who fall asleep after sex.”
“Luckily, I happen to be both those things,” Abby said. She sat up and took the mousse. The first bite was heaven, and it made her morning coffee taste that much better. Nolan climbed in bed next to her and smiled as she held the spoon to his lips.
Then he leaned in and kissed her. I could get used to this, Abby thought. She and Nolan had this way of talking without talking. He’d smile at her and look away for a second, and she’d smile back, and then they’d be kissing, each fully understanding their shared need. There was something in his eyes she couldn’t define, like the way the air changes just before it rains. It was like she could see his desire taking over.
Maybe it was just lust. Maybe it was something deeper, or maybe the mousse was an aphrodisiac of unmatched power, but within moments, Abby found herself straddling Nolan, tearing off his shirt and unbuttoning his pants, and wondering how anyone could possibly be so sexy. She ran her tongue against his lower lip and rocked her hips against his. She could feel the heat of his erection.
“About last night,” he said between kisses.
Now? She wondered. Was he really going to start a conversation when they were on the brink of sex? “Yeah?” she asked.
“I didn’t think it was possible to want someone that much,” he said. “And now I want you more.” He wrapped an arm around her and tilted her back, kissing her neck as his lips worked their way to her chest. Abby closed her eyes and took a shallow breath as he teased her nipples with his tongue.
“I need you, too,” she said as she reached down to guide him into place. It was true; she needed him in ways she could have never imagined. She just hoped they both knew what they were getting into.
They got to the sugar house later than anticipated. It was a little restaurant on a hillside where they bottled maple syrup. The smell of pancakes and bacon hung in the air from the moment they walked in, and Abby’s stomach was growling by the time they sat down to eat. The mousse had not been enough to sustain her.
As they sat there, admiring the view and waiting for their food to arrive, Abby was glad that she was hundreds of miles away from everyone she knew. For the first time, she felt self-conscious about being with a guy. It wasn’t that she was embarrassed or anything. She just didn’t know what to do or how to act as part of a relationship. Did she give into the urge to reach across the table and hold his hand? Did she sit there and stare into his eyes until the waitress asked if she was ok? Or should she pretend like everything was the way it had been? She’d always been good at sarcasm and avoidance, but she just couldn’t muster the strength to pretend she wasn’t completely infatuated with Nolan.
That was half of the problem, and Abby knew they were dumb concerns. The other part worried her more. She worried about what she’d do going forward, not whether she’d laugh at his jokes or seem too excited about something. She worried that she’d find a way to sabotage herself, to screw up this relationship before she knew what it was. She worried she’d change herself in some way to make him happy, or that maybe she already had. She’d broken every rule she had about dating to be with him.
“Everything ok?” Nolan asked.
“Everything’s great,” Abby said. And it was. It really was. That was what scared her. She didn’t want things to go back to being any other way. She thought back to her hesitation the night before, the way she’d felt unsure of herself under his gaze. Was that good or bad? She didn’t know.
Luckily, the food arrived before she had to do much more worrying, and, unlike the mousse, it left her completely full. Nolan leaned back and watched as she finished off a large stack of pancakes. “If I hadn’t fallen for you before, that would have done it,” he said.
“No one ever accused me of being dainty,” Abby said.
Nolan just laughed and looked into her eyes with complete adoration.
After breakfast, they wandered the backroads until they came upon a country store. She’d been surprised by Nolan’s excitement for what seemed like a completely cheesy tourist trap, but when he pulled her inside, it was hard not to share his enthusiasm. They tried on hats, joked about souvenir t-shirts. She held his hand, letting herself feel like a teenager as they walked up and down the aisles. It was too soon to call what they had love, but it felt like the first stages of something a lot like it. Abby felt buzzed as she leaned against Nolan.
“No postcards,” he said. “A shame.” Abby just nodded in agreement. He could have said it was a shame there weren’t elephants parading through the store and she’d have agreed. She was too busy thinking about the warm glow she felt every time her eyes met his and the way she couldn’t go more than a minute without thinking of him when they were apart. She tried to remind herself that this was the easy part, falling for someone like Nolan, believing in that instinct that drew them together.
It was what came next that made her hesitant. Relationships were work. They took time, and, getaway to Vermont aside, she and Nolan were incredibly busy people who didn’t even live in the same city. Even Maggie and Harry, who were practically the most perfect couple in the history of couples, fought from time to time and got mad at each other and fed up with little things, but Maggie was good at seeing the bigger picture, and Harry loved her so completely that he never let the fight last long enough to amount to anything. They were flexible.
She and Nolan on the other hand? Abby wasn’t quite so sure. The whole immovable object meets unstoppable force paid dividends in the bedroom, but it could be disastrous for a relationship as a whole. She didn’t know if she could learn to compromise. She was too used to living on her own and having everything exactly the way she wanted it.
“Hey,” Nolan said, “what do you think?” Abby gave him a confused look as she tried to figure out what he was talking about. Then she saw it. He was wearing a ridiculous multicolored cable
knit sweater.
“It’s spectacular,” she said.
“That’s what I like about you, Hardigan. You always tell me what I want to hear.”
“Is that so?” she asked. “I seem to remember telling you things you weren’t so thrilled about.”
Nolan wrapped his arms around her, sliding his hands down to her hips. He looked around before leaning in for a kiss. “Yeah, but I liked the way you said them.” He kissed her in one of those deep, body rocking kisses that made her want him despite the sweater and despite the fact they were in the middle of a store.
“What if I say yes?” she asked.
“Yes to what?” Nolan replied. “I’m sure we can find a place.”
“I meant what if I say yes to giving you and me a real shot?”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m not sure,” she said.
“Hmm. Yes would do.”
“I’m sure I want to try,” she said.
“Then it’s settled,” he said. “I’m getting the sweater.”
“You what? Are we having the same conversation?”
“Yeah, and apparently, this is my lucky sweater. I put it on and you want me, and want to date. I might never take it off.”
“You’re not really going to buy that thing, are you?” she said, but Nolan had already made up his mind. She knew it was useless to argue. He wanted the ugly sweater, and a part of her wanted him to get it. He pulled out his wallet and headed over to the cashier.
“These things are magical,” Nolan said as the cashier ran his card. “They grant wishes.” He wrapped his arm around Abby as he waited.
The cashier, an older man with a white mustache and a bald head, looked at Nolan, then at Abby. “I’m inclined to believe you,” he said.
That evening, on the flight back to D.C., Abby felt like she’d been granted a wish she’d never thought to make. She also felt like she was stealing one last moment of bliss with Nolan before returning to reality. Nolan, true to his word, was still wearing the sweater, and in truth, Abby was already getting used to the way it looked stretched across his broad frame. Abby leaned against his shoulder, resting her head against him as she closed her eyes. They didn’t speak. There was no need. Each of them knew how the other felt. It was like they were connected.
When Abby opened her eyes again, she could see the sun setting far in the distance, over what must have been Pennsylvania. The sky was a brilliant red, and she found herself hoping she could just stay in that moment. Maybe it was just the romance of being swept away in a private jet, or maybe it was a coincidence, but it occurred to her that even the sky always looked more vivid when she was with Nolan. It was like his mere presence changed everything about her world. Soon they’d be back to the real world, and everything would have to change again.
When they made it back to the front steps of her building, Abby thought back to the night before and remembered how good his lips had felt against hers. She thought of the thrill she felt in his arms and the hope she’d held deep down that their chemistry was more than just physical and what they had was more than just a fling.
When he leaned in and kissed her, she felt a warmth bloom inside her, and the rest of the world just fell away. She wanted to believe what he said about wanting a relationship, and she wanted to believe they were both capable of taking that next step, but there was something inside her that wondered if they really could.
But that didn’t mean that she liked what Nolan said next. When her lips parted from his and he stared into her eyes, he said, “Goodnight Abby, and thank you.”
“Goodnight?” she asked in surprise.
“I want to come upstairs with you, and I want to tear your clothes off and run my hands over every inch of your body. I want to hear your breath in my ear, want to feel your body seal against mine.”
“Then what’s stopping you?”
“I’m trying to do things right this time. We have something more than great sex,” he said. She watched his chest expand as he took a deep breath. “If I go up there, I’m going to spend the night, and I’m going to want to keep you to myself in the morning. I don’t want to be your escape. I want to be more than that.”
“I believe you,” Abby said. She knew he was right. It pained her, but he had a point. She probably had a mountain of work waiting for her, anyway. “So you’re trying to prove I mean something to you by not sleeping with me?”
“It’s as insane as it sounds, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s actually quite sweet. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.” She leaned into Nolan and placed a soft, sweet kiss on his lips. She could still smell his cologne as she made her way upstairs to her place. She took the steps two at a time, but she was so happy, she might as well have floated. Once she was inside, she tossed her purse and her bag aside and laid down on the couch. She buried her face in her hands as she smiled.
A minute later, the buzzer for the front door rang. Abby jumped up to buzz Nolan in. I knew you couldn’t stay away, she thought.
She unbolted the door and ran to the kitchen to pour a bottle of wine. She was searching through a drawer for a corkscrew when she heard the door open. “I knew you’d come to your senses,” she said without looking up.
“I believe I have, Abigail.” The voice ran through her like a cold wind, and she looked up at the man standing just inside her door. Her heart was in her throat before she fully knew what was happening. He closed the door behind himself with a sickening thunk.
Andrew Heck was inside her condo.
Abby felt rooted in place as she stared him down. His face was red, and the veins in his throat were bulging above the collar of his dress shirt. His eyes were locked on her, and there was an evil excitement in his stare. He seemed proud of himself, powerful. “It’s Abigail, right?”
Abby didn’t say anything. She stood perfectly still and scanned the room. Her phone was in her purse, and her purse was on the couch. She tried to stay calm as she realized that other than screaming, she had no way of calling for help. She forced herself to breathe slowly, trying to calm her racing heart.
“It’s not so fun being followed, is it?” He turned back to the door and slid the deadbolt shut. A shiver ran up Abby’s spine, and she realized she might be in even more trouble than she’d thought.
How the hell did he find me? she wondered. She’d been careful, very careful. She’d stayed out of the way, behaved herself. Hell, she’d barely even done anything, and now the man she was supposed to keep out of the press was standing in her condo, looking like he wanted to kill her. Abby looked down at the counter as she tried to figure out her next step.
Andrew Heck cleared his throat. “Over here, honey,” he said. “I think it’s time you and I have a little chat.” As he stepped into the living room, Abby looked down at the open drawer.
“Leave,” she said. She tried to project confidence, but her voice caught halfway through the word. She looked down again. In the drawer with the corkscrew was a chef’s knife she’d gotten as a gift and never used. As she reached for it, she hoped she wouldn’t have to use it. She slowly raised the knife to the counter. “Leave,” she repeated.
“You going to use that thing? Your hand is shaking, sweetheart.” He took another step closer. “I wonder how that’ll play. I wonder what my darling wife would say then. You probably still think she’s an angel, don’t you? I wonder what you’d say if you knew the truth about her.” He laughed and added, “Or what your friend, the pregnant one, would make of it. When’s she due again?” The threat was veiled, but it was there. I know how to get you, and I know how to get to your friends.
Abby gripped the knife and took a step towards him. She would kill him before she let him do anything to Maggie.
“Leave now,” she said. She took another step forward, and this time, he stepped back.
“Or you’ll stab me? That would be quite the story for the press. Senator’s husband stabbed by mistress.”
“B
y your what?” Abby asked.
“Your word against mine, but I can produce witnesses who place you at the same hotel as me three days in the past week, and of course, you’ve been seen at the coffee shop near my house. Did you think I wouldn’t notice a face like yours?” Abby wanted to scream. He continued. “We’re going to change a few things around here. How about you start by putting down that knife? There’s no need to be uncivil.”
“What do you want?” Abby asked. She placed the knife down on the counter, careful to leave it within reach.
“It’s not about what I want. What I want, what you want, that’s irrelevant. What matters is what you have and what I have for you.”
“And what would that be?” Abby asked.
He smiled a twisted smile and cleared his throat. “A proposal.”
Chapter 14
Nolan stood in the middle of an unfurnished office with a leasing agent. As he looked across the space, he couldn’t help but wonder who picked out the carpet for these places. It was always gray and in those squares that could be pried up and replaced. It seemed like the whole world was modular these days, replaceable. There were probably a hundred other offices within a few blocks that would work just as well. And, as he looked across the room, he wondered why the thought had never occurred to him before.
At one end of the empty space, a bank of floor to ceiling windows looked out onto the city. They were a block from a metro station and two more blocks from at least three major press outlets. Usually, this was one of his favorite parts of the process of starting a new project. It was when it became real. Office space meant employees, and employees meant content. All the backend stuff would be taken care of in New York, but he needed a place like this for his reporters. All he had to do was say yes and sign the lease, but all he could think about was Abby. All of this seemed like a diversion compared to his time with her.
It was hard to believe that a day ago, he’d been lying in bed with her. All he wanted was to see her again. He couldn’t stop thinking about her—the way she laughed, the way her hair smelled when she leaned her head against his shoulder. Every little detail about her seemed like a miracle. Somehow, everything else just seemed to fade into the background when she was around and even when she wasn’t. He wondered what she was doing.
